Subtitled "The Riverside Years," the Fantasy/Milestone reissue GREATEST HITS collects eight of the best tracks from Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's mid-'50s tenure as one of the emergent stars of the hard-bop scene. An occasional Miles Davis sideman during this time, Adderley also led his own group, featuring his cornetist brother Nat and often pianist Joe Zawinul, both of whom went on to lead their own bands in the '70s.

This material is very different from the soul jazz that the Adderleys and Zawinul popularized in the '60s. Bluesy but harder-edged and more angular than his later work, such tracks as "Work Song," "Things are Getting Better," and the intricate "Waltz for Debby" are outstanding examples of the alto saxophonist's early sound. If you're new to Cannonball Adderley, or if you're only familiar with his better-known later work, this lengthy compilation is an excellent introduction to Adderley's fruitful early era.